Battle Ground School District adopts 2025–26 budget; officials warn bigger cuts if levy fails

The Battle Ground School District Board of Directors approved Resolution J-25 adopting the 2025–26 budget at its Aug. 25 meeting, voting 4–0 to adopt the plan after a public budget hearing. The board’s vote came after district staff outlined a multi-million-dollar funding gap and the steps the district has taken to cover it.

District finance staff told the board the 2025–26 budget shows total revenues of $224,437,769 and total expenditures of $239,163,259, producing a projected shortfall of $14,875,490 that will be covered with assigned fund balance. "We are looking at expenditures exceeding revenue by $14,875,490," said Michelle Lee, staff member (finance). She presented the budget and the four‑year projections during the hearing.

Board members and staff said that shortfall stems largely from the nonrenewal of the district’s local levy, which required roughly $14 million in program and staffing reductions carried into the current budget cycle. Staff warned the district cannot sustain another levy loss without severe additional cuts: "If levy funding is not approved for 2027, the district will need to make an additional $20,000,000 in student program reductions to balance the budget," Michelle Lee said.

Why this matters: the district said state funding now provides about 83% of revenue and local levy revenue fell from about 13%…